


Getting the Band Back Together

by CoreyWW



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Music, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorder, Comedy, Drama, Dramedy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Music, Muteness, Past Character Death, Punk Rock, Rock Stars, Rock and Roll, Sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 13:55:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10855377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoreyWW/pseuds/CoreyWW
Summary: Based in the same universe as TheLillie's human AU fic"Something About Roommates and Girlfriends".Sometime after a tragedy ends their previous band, Carnelian and Skinny are finally trying to start another together. The only problem (aside from still reeling from the tragedy) is that they are missing a lead singer. Carnelian's co-worker Centi steps forward to try, which shocks Carnelian for a number of reasons, the most pressing being Carnelian isn'texactlysure Centi can speak ...A story about dealing with tragedy, meeting new friends while remembering the old, and of trying to make it as a band when absolutely no one involved knows what they're doing.





	Getting the Band Back Together

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Something About Roommates and Girlfriends](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7969258) by [TheLillie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLillie/pseuds/TheLillie). 



> This story is, with permission, based on the same universe as TheLillie's human AU fic, ["Something About Roommates and Girlfriends"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7969258/chapters/18228961). Other stories based in this universe can be found [in this collection here.](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SU_Roommateverse)
> 
> It is not 100% necessary to read that first to understand whats occurring, but later on characters from the main series do appear and ... honestly I love this AU and the mainline fic is one of my favorites, so I highly recommend reading it and other stories in that universe just for that reason.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Okay,” Carnelian said, sitting at her drums, twirling a drumstick in her hand. “How abouuuuut ... Rock Hard?”

Skinny rolled her eyes as she strummed the strings of her electric guitar, only making a twang disconnected from the amp. She sat on a pile of boxes next to Carnelian. It was very cramped, but considering Carnelian’s garage was the only space they had for practice now since the ... _unpleasantness_ , it would have to do.

“You’ve pitched that name like eight times already,” Skinny said.

“I know, but maybe it’s funnier this time,” Carnelian said, grinning.

“Yeah, it isn’t.”

Carnelian waved a hand dismissively.

“Well, I don’t see you coming up with a good band name over there,” she said.

Skinny sighed and rubbed her eyes.

“Alright, alright.” Skinny furrowed her brow. “How about ... Outlaw Star?”

“Isn’t that an anime?” Carnelian snickered.

Skinny’s cheeks turned a faint red.

“Maybe ...” Skinny said.

Carnelian laughed so hard she could hardly hear Skinny yelling “Shut up!”

“No no, don’t get me wrong, it’s a cool name,” Carnelian said. “Just kind of a nerdy reference for punk rock. I mean, why don’t we just call ourselves ‘The Weeaboos’ if we’re going with th--” Carnelian stopped and put her finger to her chin. “Hm, actually ... the Weeaboos isn’t a _terrible_ name ...”

Skinny actually chuckled back this time.

“Too hipster,” Skinny said, grinning.

“We could get some fake glasses or something and we could pull that off,” Carnelian said. “Be like Weezer or some shit.”

Skinny sputtered and bent over laughing. Carnelian, pleased she was able to make her stuffy friend lose control, followed it up by clearing her throat and sang the lyrics “ _If you waaaaaant to destrooooyyy my sweater ..._ ” off-key.

This made Skinny tumble off her boxes onto the concrete floor of the garage.

“Oh crap, you alright?” Carnelian said between laughs.

Skinny couldn’t stop laughing.

“I need a minute,” she said, covering her mouth.

Carnelian smiled. It was nice that even after everything that had happened, she could still make Skinny laugh.

Skinny’s laughter petered out after a minute or so. Carnelian grabbed her hand and helped her from the floor. Skinny had a sweet smile as she held Carnelian’s hand for a moment ... before her eyes glazed over and she pulled her hand back.

“Oh ...” Skinny said.

Carnelian raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Carnelian asked.

Skinny shook her head as she picked up her guitar.

“It’s ... I thought of another name, it’s a bad idea--” Skinny said.

 _Uh oh_ , Carnelian thought. Skinny had that look on her face again. This wouldn’t be good ... but Carnelian had to ask.

“Come on,” Carnelian said softly.

Skinny flicked a string on her guitar.

“... Pearl’s Jam,” Skinny said.

Carnelian gulped. She gently placed her drumstick down.

“... yeah ...” Carnelian said.

There was an awkward silence.

“It’s ...” Skinny sighed. “It’s a little weird having practice again without her, you know?”

“Yeah ...” Carnelian said. She hastily added, “I hate having to look for another singer, you know, but ... she’d probably want us to or--”

“I know,” Skinny said.

Carnelian rubbed her temple. She didn’t want to have to think about this again, didn’t want to remember how fun it’d been with all three of them playing. Carnelian at the drums, Skinny on an acoustic guitar, Pearl singing her heart out, eyes twinkling behind her blue bangs ...

Carnelian didn’t want to think about how all three of them would never be together again.

“Y-you know,” Carnelian said, clearing her throat. “W-we should probably just try to get another singer first then worry about the name later. I-I’ve been meaning to put up fliers anyway. I’ll make some tonight.”

Skinny nodded.

“Okay ...” she said.

Carnelian bit her lip.

“Skinny, do you want to talk more about it or--”

“I’m fine,” Skinny said, shaking her her head. “Let’s just jam, okay?”

“O-okay,” Carnelian said. “I’ll hook up the amps just ...” Carnelian got off her chair and touched Skinny’s shoulder. “Just let me know if you need anything, okay?”

Skinny gave a faint sweet smile.

“... thanks, Carnie,” Skinny said.

Carnelian gave a sad smile back.

* * *

Carnelian put the flier on the front of the comic shop. It wasn’t fancy and included dumb pictures of guitars from Google Image search, but it’d do the job.

It read:

**LEAD SINGER NEEDED FOR PUNK BAND.**

**MUST HAVE SATURDAY NIGHTS FREE FOR PRACTICE. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.**

**(We’re not picky mostly cause we kinda suck.)**

**CALL THIS NUMBER**

Beneath was Carnelian’s cell phone number.

Honestly admitting they weren’t very good wasn’t the best PR strategy, but Carnelian wasn’t above playing the pity card.

After she taped it up on the front window, she turned back to her co-worker at the counter, who was reading a Jughead digest.

“I don’t suppose you can sing, Centi?” Carnelian said.

Centi lowered her comic, revealing her long white hair and sharp green eyes. She shot Carnelian a glare, but otherwise said nothing. As usual.

Carnelian chuckled.

“Right, sorry, dumb question,” Carnelian said. She went back to the counter and sat on the stool next to Centi.

Centi was the only other person working at the comic shop aside from Carnelian and the manager. She was a good worker; honestly, she worked harder than Carnelian did by a wide margin. The only unusual thing about her was she never seemed to speak. _Ever_. At least, never that Carnelian had ever heard. She mostly communicated with hand gestures and pointing. Carnelian did most of the actual talking to customers when they asked any questions.

Carnelian wasn’t exactly sure _why_ Centi was like that. She knew Centi wasn’t deaf because she heard Carnelian just fine. Carnelian wasn’t sure if she had some other condition that prevented her from speaking or if she simply chose not to speak. Carnelian felt rude asking and she had a feeling she wouldn’t get a straight answer even if she did.

But despite all that, Centi seemed nice enough. At the very least, she was a good listener.

Carnelian put propped her face up on the counter and sighed.

“Just feels weird, you know” Carnelian said, “having a band again without Pearl.”

Centi looked back at Carnelian and gently placed her comic down. She turned fully towards her, wide-eyed.

Carnelian glanced up and shook her head.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Carnelian said, before adding, “Well, maybe not fine but ...”

Centi blinked, before hesitantly patting Carnelian on the knee.

“Heh, thanks,” Carnelian said. “I just wish it wasn’t so hard on Skinny, you know? She knew Pearl even longer than I did. They were like besties. I just ...” She groaned. “Wish I was smart enough to know a better way to help, I guess.”

Centi gave a small smirk before taking her fists and bumping them together.

Carnelian laughed and waved her hand.

“Fuck off, it’s not like that,” Carnelian said. “We’re just friends.”

Centi shrugged. Carnelian laughed even harder.

“Look, tell you what,” Carnelian said, “if you ever feel like joining a band, just come over and I’ll find something for you to do. You’d be fun to have around.”

Centi leaned back, astonished.

“Only if you want to, you know,” Carnelian added.

Oddly, Centi simply gave a nervous smile, shrugged, then picked her comic back up.

Carnelian patted Centi on the back.

“Good talk, Centi.”

* * *

Carnelian had nearly forgotten about the conversation with Centi until that following Saturday.

Carnelian was trying not to feel bummed even though no one had answered the flier. She felt even worse seeing that Skinny was still in a bad mood. She seemed spacy, never quite looking Carnelian in the eye when she spoke, responding very bluntly like she always did when she was upset.

Carnelian tried not to worry if Skinny had been like that all week. She didn’t ask, of course, because she didn’t want to make things worse.

They jammed a little (Skinny’s timing was off but Carnelian didn’t have the heart to say anything about it) and afterwards they simply shot the breeze.

“Okay, I’ve been thinking a lot, and I think if we _do_ pick a hipster name like ‘The Weeaboos,’ we should be able to get a sizable following if I just keep hanging up fliers at Whole Foods and Panera Bread,” Carnelian said. “This feels like a solid plan. We’ll be a real hit with the crowd willing to pay forty-five dollars for two sandwiches and a fruit cup.”

“Yeah ...” Skinny said.

Carnelian frowned. _Not even a chuckle_ , she thought.

“Hey, Skinny, are you--” Carnelian started, but was interrupted when she heard footsteps.

They turned to the front of the open garage and saw Centi there. She wore a green jacket and held a spiral notebook and pen in her hands.

“Centi?” Carnelian said.

Skinny blinked and shook her head.

“Centi? Your friend from the comic shop?” Skinny whispered.

“Ye-yeah,” Carnelian said. She stood up from her stool, suddenly remembering the conversation from a few days ago ...

“H-hey girl,” Carnelian said as she approached Centi. “So you want to join the band after all?”

Centi didn’t look straight at Carnelian. She glanced at the floor, hesitating for a moment, before nodding.

“Oh!” Carnelian said. “Well, hey, that’s great! The more the merrier! So what do you want to do? Bass or--”

Centi opened her notebook and scribbled with her pen. After a moment, she showed a message she’d written on it.

 _I want to sing,_ it read.

Carnelian stared at the message, glancing up at Centi, who had a faint blush on her cheeks. She glanced back at Skinny, who had perked up for the first time today.

“You can sing?” Skinny asked.

Carnelian put her hand to her forehead.

“I um ... well, I didn’t think she could--” Carnelian said.

She heard scribbling on paper and looked up. Centi had turned to another page.

 _Yes, I can talk,_ it read. Centi thumped her fingers against the notebook, almost fidgeting holding it.

“You can?” Carnelian said astonished.  
  
Centi gave a stern look and tapped the word “Yes” repeatedly.

Carnelian blinked, shaking her head.

“B-but that doesn’t make any sense, why do you--”

Before Carnelian could finish, Centi pulled out her cell phone with one hand, the other still holding the notebook. She tapped on the screen faster than Carnelian thought was possible. A moment later, the phone rang. She held it out to Carnelian.

“You want me to answer the phone?” Carnelian said, taking the phone.

Centi rolled her eyes and underlined “Yes” with her finger.

“Alright, alright!” Carnelian said. She stared at the still ringing phone in her hand. “Oh um ... keep Skinny comfortable while I handle ... this, okay?”

“Oh!” Skinny said. “Um ... okay, I guess.”

Skinny stood up and walked up to Centi.

“Um ... nice to meet you,” Skinny said, clutching her elbow awkwardly.

Centi gave a nervous smile.

Carnelian exhaled. At least this gave Skinny something to do aside from dwell on the past.

Carnelian finally accepted the call and put the phone to her ear.

“H-hello?” Carnelian said.

“Yes, is this Carnelian?” said a female voice Carnelian didn’t recognize.

“Um ... yeah?” Carnelian said. “Who is this?”

“My name is Nephrite,” she said, in a voice not exactly rude, but blunt. “I’m Centi’s sister.”

“She has a sister?”

“She has _two_ , actually. Sorry, I thought you knew.”

“Well, Centi isn’t exactly much of a conversationalist.

There was no answer on the end of the line, but the silence that washed over Carnelian had an unmistakable air of anger to it.

“Um ... sorry,” Carnelian added. “Bad joke.”

“Yes, I agree,” Nephrite said coldly. She exhaled. “I should have expected as much. Not sure why Centi thinks you’re funny.”

“She does?” Carnelian said with a flush on her cheeks. “Like, how funny?”

“I’m sorry, could I get back to the point please?” Nephrite said.

Carnelian ground her teeth. She’d only talked to this woman for a couple minutes and she already liked her about a thousand times less than Centi.

“Centi wanted me to tell you that she’s sorry, but she’s really anxious,” Nephrite said. “That’s why she doesn’t talk to most people. It’s not that she can’t, it’s just that she ... _can’t_ , you know?”

“That’s ... a little weird,” Carnelian said. “I mean, not weird, sorry how that sounded just ... has she always been like that?”

There was brief pause over the line.

“A little, but it got worse ... a while ago,” said Nephrite.

Carnelian cringed and glanced back at Centi, who was scribbling on her notepad while Skinny watched with curiosity. Carnelian wasn’t sure what might have made Centi’s problem worse. She didn’t feel right asking, but the thought of something bad happening to Centi made her feel sick to her stomach.

Nice people didn’t deserve to have bad stuff happen to them. Not people like Centi.

 _Or Pearl,_ she tried not to think but did anyway.

“I see,” Carnelian said.

Nephrite cleared her throat.

“She talks to me and Emerald just fine though,” Nephrite said. “She talks a lot about you. And she does have a good voice. I don’t know exactly _why_ , but a few days ago she got it in her head she wanted to try to sing for your band. She just wanted me to tell you it might be ... hard ... at first.”

Carnelian bit her lip, suddenly understanding. She remembered how she had spilled her guts to Centi the other day, said how hard it was for Carnelian and Skinny without Pearl around ...

 _Was that why you were doing this, Centi?_ Carnelian said. _You made yourself do something that makes you nervous just for us? For_ me _?_

“Listen,” Carnelian said. “She really doesn’t have to do this. I-I don’t want her to feel nervous or--”

“Please don’t discourage her,” Nephrite said, her voice suddenly softer.

“Huh?” Carnelian said.

“Look, I honestly don’t give a crap about you or your band, but this is the first time in a long time Centi’s even _wanted_ to try talking to anyone else and ...” Nephrite’s voice lowered. “I-I can’t make you do anything but it’d mean a lot if let her try.”

Carnelian’s eyes were wide. This was really the first time Centi had wanted to speak to anyone outside her family for that long? All because of what Carnelian said the other day?

Was Carnelian really _that_ important to her?

“Wow ...” Carnelian whispered. “O-okay, we’ll give this a shot.”

“Thank you,” Nephrite said, reverting to her normal blunt demeanor. “Be nice.”

“I am nice.”

“Be nic _er_.”

Carnelian rolled her eyes. _Yep, still don’t like her_ , Carnelian thought.

“I’ll be nice,” Carnelian said.

“Good,” Nephrite said. “Can I talk to Centi?”

“Fine. Hang on.”

Carnelian walked back over to Centi, right as Skinny had taken hold of Centi’s notepad. Centi stood there, fidgeting awkwardly.

“Hey, um, Centi,” Carnelian said, holding the phone out. “Your sister wanted to talk to you.”

Centi nodded and took the phone. She held it to her ear. Carnelian could hear Nephrite’s voice, but couldn’t make out anything that was said.

“Hey Carnie?” Skinny said with a chuckle. “Did you know Centi can draw?”

“She can?” Carnelian said.

“Yeah, she drew you,” Skinny said. She held out the pad to Carnelian.

“Well, I-I’m flattered,” said Carnelian as she took the pad. “I’ve never been--”

Carnelian saw that the sketch on the pad was basically just a tiny square with eyes and long hair.

Skinny snickered.

“Don’t get too mad, I asked her to draw you,” Skinny said. “She’s got a sense of humor.”

Carnelian pursed her lips. Skinny kept grinning.

“It’s like I’m seeing double though,” Skinny said. “I’m thinking of framing it.”

“You guys are assholes,” Carnelian said with a chuckle.

Skinny held her stomach laughing. Carnelian couldn’t help but smile too. Centi always had been funny too, in her own way.

Seeing Skinny laugh with tears in her eyes made Carnelian want to make this work even more, even if Centi wasn’t that great.

After all, when Skinny’s laughing, she can’t be upset about ... everything.

Centi hung up the phone and shoved it in her pocket.

“Oh hey,” Carnelian said as Centi approached her. She waved the notepad. “Thanks for the portrait, Van Gogh.”

Centi gave a wide grin. Skinny, who had only then stopped laughing, stifled a giggle.

“So um ...” Carnelian held one elbow. “You really want to sing?”

Centi paused for a second, then slowly nodded.

“And you’re ... okay trying to do that, right?” Carnelian said.

Centi gave another nod.

“Okay,” Carnelian said.

Skinny scratched the back of her neck.

“Could we maybe ... hear something?” Skinny said.

Centi glanced down at the floor and shuffled her feet. She inhaled and took a deep breath.

“Look, if you need some time or anything, that’s okay,” Carnelian said. “There’s no rush to--”

But before Carnelian could finish, Centi let out a voice almost like a whisper.

“ _Haven’t you noticed that I’m a star? Coming into view as the world is turning ...”_

Carnelian stood in stunned silence. Skinny straightened up, her mouth open.

Centi’s voice was small and gentle, but also beautiful, just like ...

 _Just like Pearl’s_ , Carnelian thought with a sinking feeling in her chest.

“ _Haven’t you notice I made it this far? Now everyone can see me burning ... now everyone can see me burning ... now everyone can see m--”_

Centi stopped at the sound of a sniffle. Carnelian and Centi both turned to Skinny, who had tears clinging to her eyes. Her hands were over her mouth.

Centi went pale and took a step towards Skinny. Skinny backed away.

“I, I’m sorry,” Skinny said. “I-- I have to go.”

“Skinny, don’t--” Carnelian started.

“Just give me a minute, alright?!” Skinny said as she walked out of the garage and out of sight.

Centi and Carnelian stared after her, stunned.

Gently, Centi took the pad from Carnelian’s hand and flipped it open. She pulled her pen and scribbled. A moment later, she turned the pad around with a frown.

 _Was I not good?_ Centi wrote.

Carnelian took a deep sigh and shook her head.

 _No matter how much I try to forget and make her forget, she keeps falling back into this,_ Carnelian thought, trying not to think all of this was her fault.


End file.
